Which nonpharmacologic method helps reduce postoperative shivering?

• A. Active warming
• B. Dexmedetomidine
• C. Meperidine
• D. Oxygen therapy

Answer: (A)

Maintaining normal body temperature after surgery is a key way to prevent shivering. Shivering is a thermoregulatory response when the body becomes cooled during or after anesthesia, and it raises oxygen demand and can complicate recovery. Actively warming the patient, such as with forced‑air warming blankets, warmed IV fluids, and keeping the ambient environment warm, helps keep the core temperature closer to normal. When the body stays warmer, there’s less trigger for shivering, so it happens less often and is less severe, improving comfort and recovery.

The other options involve drugs that suppress shivering or address other issues. Those are pharmacologic means, not nonpharmacologic. Oxygen therapy can help if hypoxemia is contributing to shivering, but it’s not primarily a temperature-management strategy.